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Deva (देव in Devanagari script, Pronounced as "dévə") is the Sanskrit word for "god, Deity ". It can be variously interpreted as a Spirit , demi-god, Celestial Being , Angel , Deity or any supernatural being of high excellence. In Hindu Mythology , the devas are opposed to the demonic Asura s. ETYMOLOGY
The cognate word in Avestan is daeva. In Zoroastrianism and the Avesta , the ''ahuras'' are supreme, while the ''daevas'' are Demon ic. This has been forwarded as an argument of a religious split between early Indo-Aryans and Iranians . In early Vedic Religion , however, some Asuras are still worshipped. It seems more likely that the Indo-Iranians , and probably already the Proto-Indo-Europeans (the Germanic Aesir are cognate to the Asuras) worshipped two classes of gods, without any moral dichotomy.
VEDIC RELIGION The Veda s, the earliest comprehensive literature of the Indo-European people, contain Mantra s for pleasing the devas to obtain blessings. The Rig Veda , the earliest of the four, enumerates 33 devas, which in later Hinduism became exaggerated to 330 million, likely because the same Sanskrit word means "ten million" and "class, group", i.e. "33 types of divine manifestations". Some devas represent the forces of nature and some represent moral values. The main deva addressed in the Rig Veda is Indra . Agni (fire) and Soma represent modes of fire- Sacrifice , called Yagna , but personified are also seen as devas. All gods taken together are worshipped as the Vishvedevas . Varuna , identified by some to have become the Supreme God of Zoroastrianism Ahura Mazda , has the dual title of deva and asura. There are also other devas like Savitŗ , Vishnu , Rudra (later given the exclusive epithet of Shiva ), Prajapati (later called as Brahmā), Mitra , Aryaman , etc and Devi s (goddesses) like Usha , Prithvi and Saraswati . CLASSICAL HINDUISM Nature devas are responsible for 'things' such as fire, air, rain and trees - most of them assumed a minor role in the later religion. Certain other deities rose into prominence. These higher devas control much more intricate tasks governing the functioning of the cosmos and the evolution of creation. Mahadevas, such as Lord Ganesha , have such tremenduous tasks under their diligence that they are sometimes called themselves Gods under the Supreme One God. The Trimurti is composed of Brahmā , Vishnu and Shiva . (Note: ''Mahadeva'' genrally refers to Shiva) The devas are functionally equivalent of angels who serve God in Judaeo-Christian tradition. There are also many other lesser celestial beings in Hinduism such as Gandharvas or celestial musicians. Vayu or the Lord of the wind is an example of an important Deva . Also, Death is personified as the deva Yama . Devas and Asuras are also cited in traditional Buddhist cosmology. For information on this subject, see Six Lower Realms . Devas, in Hinduism , are Celestial Beings that control forces of nature such as fire, air, wind, etc. They are not to be confused with the One and the Supreme God or His personal form, Saguna Brahman which can be visualized as Vishnu or Shiva . God (see Ishvara ) or Brahman (the Supreme Spirit) is the ultimate controller. A famous verse from the Katha Upanishad states: “From fear (here, power) of Him the wind blows; from fear of Him the sun rises; from fear of Him Agni and Indra and Death, the fifth, run." In actuality, Brahman is the only Ultimate Reality, and all devas are simply mundane manifestations of Him. Smarta Hinduism allows God to be worshipped in any anthromorphic form for the sake of devotion. See Bhakti . According to , for example) with faith, they also worship Me, but in an improper way because I am the Supreme Being. I alone am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services (Seva, Yajna) and Lord of the universe." (Gita: 9:23) Furthermore, said, "Shree Krishna Bhagwan and Shree Krishna Bhagwan's incarnations alone are worthy of meditation. Similarly, Shree Krishna Bhagwan's images are worthy. And men or Devas , even if they are devotees of Shree Krishna Bhagwan or brahmavettaa (knower of divinity), they are still not worthy of meditation - and thus one should not meditate upon them." MODERN INFLUENCES
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